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description of Sketch for “Le Bonheur de vivre” (“The Joy of Life”) by Henri Matisse

This expressive abstract oil painting, which measures under one-and-a-half feet tall and less than two feet wide, depicts a group of nude figures in a park-like setting. A dotted orange and yellow trail leads from our lower left to the right hand side of the canvas, passing tall trees, a footpath to a distant lake, and several standing and lounging figures. The colors on display are vibrant and irregular. Patches of pink and violet sky are found at the top of the canvas, and blue swatches represent grass near the bottom. Dense orange-colored trees on the left and a stand of teal trees on the right feature indigo trunks and limbs. Some of the paint, including the dotted trail, is thick and textured, whereas the red used to outline the figures appears dry and sketch-like. The figures themselves are only vaguely representational. Many have been broken down into angular shapes, while others are a collection of lines or limbs that merely suggest a figure.

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